- Crowns servant rättäri holds the riverside village in his grip with his plots. Officer Turkka falls in love with Katri, whom the rättäri also woos. Turkka, who learns of the rättäri's shady dealings, decides to expose rättäri.
- Wilho Ilmari and Axel Slangus' silent film Tukkijoella (1928), set in the late 19th century, is based on Teuvo Pakkala's play of the same name. A servant of the crown, rättäri, holds the riverside village and the master of Pietola in his grip with his devious plots. Turkka, the valiant officer, falls in love with Katri of Pietola, whom the rättäri also woos. Turkka, who has learned of the rättäri's shady dealings, decides to save the house of his beloved and expose the rättäri's machinations.
- The loggers bring summer and life to the riverside village, which is gripped by the mysterious plots of a rättäri. Through an intermediary, he has lent Pietola, the gruff but honest landlord 4000 marks and has obtained a bond. The money has been conned by the rättäri from the dying widow of Perttu, whose 'short-sighted' son, Pölhö-Kustaa, he has bribed to accuse Pietola.
Turkka, a logger, arrives, puts his men up in Pietola, and orders them to repair the dilapidated house. "I have decided to become the master of Pietola," says Turkka, who has already fallen in love with Katri, Pietola's daughter, whom the rättäri is courting and who, since her mother's death, has taken over the house, assisted by the farmer's daughter Anni. Tolari, Pietola's lackey, loses his heart to Maija, who has arrived as the landlady of the loggers and who urges him to learn to read before they can talk about living together. Anni and Huotari, the logger's son, have their own thing going.
Pietola surprises Katri and Turkka together and forbids the man to enter his house again. Rättäri sets out to find out who his rival is, while Turkka decides to find out what rättäri is up to. Turkka follows Pölhö-Kustaa and finds his treasure: a promissory note hidden in her mother's shoe, which tells that rättäri has received the widow's money. Turkka is offered a job as a wholesaler, which he accepts while the men celebrate. "Tomorrow we'll dance an engagement party," Turkka promises.
Meanwhile, rättäri starts blackmailing Pietola to get Katri. Pietola sends Katri to her aunt, but rättäri intervenes and takes her to her mother's cottage, from where she has already run away when Turkka comes looking for her. "If there are no announcements, Pietola's house will be mine," rättäri threatens, but Pietola is able to pay his debts because Turkka has given him a down payment on the sale of the forest.
Maija leads Katri, who is wandering on the beach, to meet Turkka: he comforts her and asks her to marry him, and begins to paint a picture of their future together. The young couple's engagement now has Pietola's approval. However, rättäri turns up at the engagement party and announces that he will arrest Turkka on the orders of the municipal chief. Turkka knocks rättäri to the ground, presents his papers and his unused American passport, which prove him to be a man of integrity, and also settles the matter of Kustaa's inheritance: Pietola's reputation is cleared, rättäri is disgraced and Kustaa is given a home in Pietola. "Let's dance many engagements at the same time", Pietola rejoices, as Anni and Huotari, Maija and Tolari have also found a common thread.
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